Asian Film Awards: Louis Koo gets best actor nod
PROLIFIC Hong Kong film star Louis Koo Tin-lok earned a rare best- actor nomination for his role as an anguished father out for violent revenge in ‘ Paradox' for the 12th Asian Film Awards.
But the popular actor's admittedly deserved nod may not be enough to make up for the disappointment of his home audiences as Hong Kong cinema again comes up short for the awards' top prize: Hong Kong films have failed to snatch a single best picture nod at the Asian Film Awards this year to be held at the Venetian Theatre of The Venetian Macao, which hosted the ceremony in previous years.
‘I Am Not Madame Bovary' wins best picture at the 2017 Asian Film Awards while ‘ The Handmaiden' takes home four prizes.
The five nominees for best picture are Chinese writerdirector Vivian Qu's modern- day crime noir ‘Angels Wear White'; Indian comedy ‘Newton'; Korean art-house gem ‘ The Day After', one of three films Hong Sangsoo directed in 2017; Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda's legal thriller ‘ The Third Murder' ; and ‘Youth', Feng Xiaogang's sprawling drama about a Chinese military arts troupe who lived through the Cultural Revolution and the Sino-Vietnamese war.
‘Angels Wear White', ‘ The Third Murder' and ‘Youth' have five nominations apiece; as does Sylvia Chang's multigenerational relationship drama ‘Love Education'. But the surprise front-runner of the awards turns out to be Chen Kaige's lavish supernatural murder mystery ‘Legend of the Demon Cat', which received nods in six categories, including best director.
The nomination list surprises as much for its appreciation for popular actors (including Louis Koo) as it does for its curious snubs. Eddie Peng is recognised for his supporting role in ‘Our Time Will Come', but his costars, Zhou Xun and Deanie Ip, are both notable omissions. Song Kang-ho failed to receive a best actor nod for ‘A Taxi Driver' after he essentially swept the domestic prizes in South Korea, while the Golden Horse best picture ‘ The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful' is shunned in every category.
The winners of the 2018 Asian Film Awards – which has also introduced the best new director and best action film categories – will be announced at a ceremony on Mar 17 at the Venetian Macao.
The veteran action director Ching Siu-tung will serve as jury president of this year's programme, which incorporates a special focus on martial arts filmmaking in Asia.